Costa Concordia
cruise ship that ran aground in a maritime accident in 2012.
Key facts
- Name
- Costa Concordia
- Owner
- Carnival Corporation & plc
- Operator
- Costa Crociere
- Port of registry
- Genoa, Italy
- Route
- Western Mediterranean
- Ordered
- 19 January 2004
- Builder
- Fincantieri Sestri Ponente , Italy
- Cost
- €450 million ( £372 million, US$570 million )
- Laid down
- 8 November 2004
- Launched
- 2 September 2005 ( 2005-09-02 )
- Sponsored by
- Eva Herzigová
- Christened
- 7 July 2006
- Acquired
Article
Costa Concordia ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈkɔsta koŋˈkɔrdja]) was a cruise ship operated by the Italian cruise line Costa Crociere. She was the first of her class, followed by her sister ships Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa, and Carnival Splendor built for Carnival Cruise Line. When the 114,137-ton Costa Concordia and her sister ships entered service, they were among the largest ships built in Italy until the construction of the 130,000 GT Dream-class cruise ships.
On 13 January 2012 at 21:45, Costa Concordia struck a rock in the Tyrrhenian Sea just off the eastern shore of Isola del Giglio. This tore open a 53-metre (174-foot) gash on the port side of her hull, which soon flooded parts of the engine room, cutting off power from the engines and ship services. As water flooded in, the ship listed as she drifted back towards the island and grounded near shore, then rolled onto her starboard side, lying in an unsteady position on a rocky underwater ledge.